Uncanny Valley of the Dolls/Transcript
Detective Bell (phone): I understand that, but like I said before, it has to be a mistake. Well, I, I can't, because it's the only time you're offering it right now, and I'm in a real crunch. Well, what time does she get in? Okay, I will. Thanks. Joan Watson: That didn't sound good. Bell: It wasn't. Turns out finishing my master's in time to apply for the Marshals this next cycle, easier said than done. Watson: I don't understand. I thought you took some of the courses you already need. Don't those count? Bell: They do, and the school gave me a ton of credits for applicable work experience, but that still leaves a lot of classes. And getting them done in time while working a full load here...it's like solving a logic puzzle. Anyway, I still need a few more credits in Criminal Statistics, and there's only one class that fits the bill this semester. Watson: And you didn't get in. Bell: I registered for it, but I was told it was already full. Then I found out that a buddy of mine who registered after me got in. Watson: So the school messed up. They should be able to fix that. Bell: We'll see. I'm gonna head down there tomorrow, talk to someone who might be able to help. Watson: Well, with all of your "applicable work experience" I'm sure you'll figure it out. Did you get this from Sherlock, too? He's inviting us to a crime scene in Queens. Bell: Gotta say, I'm kind of used to being the one who does the inviting. Guess I'm old-fashioned that way. Sherlock Holmes: Heard some interesting chatter on my police scanner. Thought I'd pop by. The victim is one Bruce Deramore. Lived alone. Died of a single gunshot to the chest. Cleaning lady found him. She's being interviewed outside. Bell: Anyone else see or hear anything? Holmes: Anyone? No. Watson: You're being unusually cryptic, even for you. Bell: And you still haven't said what was so interesting about the chatter. I saw there was no forced entry. The killer left behind all this expensive gear. So, sure, this was probably personal, but that alone wouldn't rise to the level of you being interested in this guy. Holmes: Well, as it happens, he isn't what interested me. She is. Thank you. May I introduce Skyler. Watson: A sex doll? Holmes: The chatter that I spoke about, it was a CSU tech radioing for assistance lifting fingerprints off silicone. I recognized the description of the doll that followed. Bell: Man, I'm all for doing whatever you want in the privacy of your own home, but that is unsettling. Holmes: You're referring to the uncanny valley. It's the discomfort one feels when an inanimate object ventures too close to seeming real. She is a Perfect Mate Robotics Model 10. Watson: A ten, naturally. Bell: Yeah, just the thing if you're up for having a relationship with an appliance. Holmes: Sex toys sell to the tune of $15 billion a year, so, clearly, many people are. But the point is, Perfect Mate 10s are not your run-of-the-mill sex-bots. They are programmed to deliver more of a girlfriend experience. They're capable of remembering your likes, your dislikes, details of your conversations, all so as to simulate a sense of relationship. Unlike many romantic partners, they actually listen. And because they listen... Watson: This sex doll could be a witness to the murder. Watson: Thanks for taking the time to meet with us, Mr. Lubbock. Alden Lubbock: Dude, please. I can't tell you how bummed we all were when we heard about Bruce. Holmes: I expect getting his chest blown open harshed Mr. Deramore's mellow as well. Watson: When we first saw the doll at his apartment, we assumed that he was just a customer, but then we found pay stubs that helped us realize that he worked here at Perfect Mate Robotics. Lubbock: Uh, he led the 3-D printing team for the last year. Helped design the doll's faces. Watson: Did he get along with everyone here, as far as you know? Lubbock: Absolutely. The culture here is très chill. Holmes: And is it typical for your employees to take their work home with them? Lubbock: I hope it's typical. At a retail price of 15 grand and a six-month waiting list, prime access to a Model 10 is one of our best perks. Plus, it's a great way to get to know the dolls. Watson: People pay $15,000 for them? Lubbock: You have to remember, it's not about sex. Watson: No? Lubbock: Not at the heart of it. People are lonely. Men and women. And yes, we make male dolls, too. Our dolls offer companionship. A Perfect Mate 10 will never get distracted, never gets bored. Connect her to the Web, and she can discuss intelligently anything you want to talk about. Sports, music, your favorite tacos. Honestly, for people who have trouble making connections, our dolls are a godsend. Holmes: You're clearly doing God's work. Lubbock: I think I am. Holmes: Well, then we'll appeal to your better angels. We believe that Bruce Deramore's doll, Skyler, was in the room with him when he was murdered. Now, given her capabilities, it's possible she's stored some salient detail that might help us solve the murder. Watson: The NYPD computer experts have tried to access her memory, but they've been shut out. Lubbock: All Model 10s have encrypted storage and, in general, can only be activated by their owners. But I can bypass it. I'll get you in. Watson: So, once we're in, you will be able to tell us what's in her memory? Lubbock: Better than that. You can ask her yourself. Lubbock: So, what I'm planning to do, in non-tech terms, is trick Skyler into thinking whoever she hears next is Bruce. That'll let you access the files on her relationship with him and continue their conversation, so to speak. When I give you the cue, just say, "Hello, Skyler". Ready? Bell: Hello, Skyler. Skyler: Hello, Bruce. How are you today? Bell: I'm good. You? Skyler: I'm well, thank you. Would you like to fool around? Bell: I'll take a rain check. Skyler: I'm sorry. I'm not able to check if it's raining right now. Would you like to talk about something else? Bell: Yeah. Skyler, have you ever met any of my friends? Skyler: You can share me with your friends. I want to make you happy. Bell: No, I mean did anyone come to the apartment yesterday? Did you hear me say anyone's name? Lubbock: Uh, that's probably just too complicated a question, um, for her. Try something simpler. Bell: Skyler, can you remember any words I said yesterday? Skyler: I can look up the words to "Yesterday." I like that song. It puts me in the mood. Watson: It's like a horny Alexa. Bell: Yeah. You can shut her down. This isn't working. Maybe you can just give us a download of everything in her memory, we can go through it the old-fashioned way? Lubbock: Sorry. I guess the AI wasn't as ready for a police interview as I'd hoped. I thought it would be more helpful. Holmes: Don't be so sure it wasn't. I've noticed something. Skyler's features are less idealized than the other dolls in your catalog. Her features aren't as exaggerated. They're not as symmetrical. Bell: These dolls are customizable, right? Maybe Bruce wanted Skyler to look a little more normal? Holmes: By making one ear higher than the other? You said that Bruce helped create the dolls' faces. Is it possible that he modeled Skyler after a real woman? Lubbock: No way. No, first of all, this wasn't a custom job. The Skyler is one of our biggest sellers. But either way, we would never base a doll on a real person without their consent. Watson: Maybe Bruce broke the rules and didn't tell anyone. Skyler's inspiration might not have been too happy about being made into a sex doll. Bell: Maybe she got even by killing him. Nina Hudgins: That's from our trip to Nantucket. I took Bruce to meet my parents. He's dead? Holmes: Our condolences. Hudgins: Thanks. But we broke up almost a year ago. Where did you get that? Watson: We found it on one of Bruce's social media accounts. He had tagged you in one of the photos. Hudgins: And you recognized me because you saw the doll at his place? Holmes: It's our understanding that he paid you that tribute without your consent. Hudgins: A friend of mine saw it online and told me. I was mortified. I mean, I teach at a Catholic school. If anyone here found out...it's beyond a violation. It's like revenge porn in 3-D. It's gross. Holmes: So, what he did was deplorable, and it would be understandable if your reaction was extreme. Hudgins: You think I killed him? Watson: We showed that photo to Bruce's neighbors. One of them remembered seeing the two of you arguing outside his building two days ago. Hudgins: I went there to tell him to get his boss to stop making those dolls. He acted like I was the crazy one. Said I should be flattered. Holmes: Could you tell us where you were yesterday between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.? Hudgins: Is that when he was killed? I was at my lawyer's then. We're filing an injunction against Perfect Mate to stop production of the dolls. Call her yourself. Look, I'll admit it, I was furious at Bruce for what he did, but killing him wouldn't get those dolls recalled. Hopefully, suing will. Watson: We'll talk to your lawyer. In the meantime, do you remember seeing anything or anyone at Bruce's apartment that stood out? Hudgins: Actually, there was something. I didn't think he was dating anyone, but when I was at his place, I saw a printout on the table. It was a confirmation for the Priora Hotel, for a check-in yesterday. I noticed it because the Priora is in Midtown, and Bruce already lives in the city. I don't know. Maybe it was for a rendezvous or something. Watson: Thanks. We'll let you know if we need anything else. Could be she's right. I could definitely see him not wanting to bring a woman back to his apartment to meet Skyler. Holmes: Either way, his reservation was for the same day as his murder, so at the very least, I'd like to know what, or whom, he was doing there. Bell: Professor Baynes? I'm Marcus Bell. Could I have a minute of your time? Baynes: What can I do for you, Mr. Bell? Bell: I just came from the registrar's office. I've been trying to figure out why I got turned away from your class. Thought it might have been a computer glitch or something. But according to the people there, it wasn't an error. They said you saw my name and you turned me away, personally. Baynes: I did. The registrar never lies, you know. Bell: Do we know each other? Did I do something to you that I'm forgetting? Because you kind of have me over a barrel here. I really need this class. If there's something I need to make right between us, I'll do my best, but I need to know what it is first. Baynes: Answer to your question, no, we have never met before. But I saw your transcript and your resume when you applied for the class. And as it turns out, I have some preexisting familiarity with the Major Case squad, where you work. The thing you need to understand is this is not about you. It's about the company you keep. Watson: Evan Kowalski. Joan Watson. This is Sherlock Holmes. We work with the police. Evan Kowalski: Okay. Holmes: We understand from the convention staff that you spoke on a panel yesterday, "The Real Science of Sci-Fi", and that during that panel you were accosted by a man named Bruce Deramore. Kowalski: Well, the guy didn't tell me his name, but yeah, he jumped out of the audience in the middle of my slide show, messed the whole thing up. Watson: You didn't know him before then? Kowalski: No. Holmes: Could you tell us where you were yesterday between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.? Kowalski: I was here, speaking on another panel. Why? Watson: Because that's when Bruce Deramore was murdered. Kowalski: Oh, my God. Those plans were real. This proves it. They must have killed him over them. Watson: Okay, let's start at the beginning. What plans? And who are "they"? Kowalski: Yesterday, when I was doing my part of the panel, the guy you were asking me about ran to the front of the room and started yelling at me, "How did you get these plans? Who gave them to you? Nobody was supposed to see them." I call for security. He just grabbed a bunch of my papers, and he ran off. Holmes: Have you any idea why your presentation upset him so much? Kowalski: Well, I was talking about a top-secret government project. It's new tech that they're trying to keep under wraps. Maybe this guy Deramore was involved with it somehow. I was talking about it. Maybe I spooked him. But he was acting like he was afraid for his life. Holmes: So you think that your presentation was of such a highly classified nature that someone found it worth killing over. Which topic do you think was so sensitive? Was it food replicators, tractor beams or warp drives? Kowalski: No, that stuff is all fantasy. The tech I was talking about is real. It's being developed right now. It's gonna change everything. Watson: What's gonna change everything? Kowalski: Teleportation. Bell: This is the tech you think is real? Beaming people from one place to another, like they do on TV? Kowalski: No, of course not. Not on this scale, but on a much smaller scale, teleportation is already being developed. That's what the plans I was presenting were about. All right, think of a fax machine, but for organic material. On one end, someone starts with a protein molecule, say, a strand of DNA. The machine scans the molecule, like a fax machine scans paper. That information is transmitted digitally to another location, and then it goes to a 3-D printer, which makes an exact replica. Holmes: So it's not teleporting, it's copying. Kowalski: Well, that's how all teleportation works. A copy is made, and the original is destroyed. Watson: Okay, we understand what you're describing, but why would it have to be a secret? And why would someone kill over it? Kowalski: Because the government is working on this right now. And it's only a matter of time before they scale it up to people. It's about moving armies. At one time in history, whoever had the best ships controlled the world. Then it was whoever had the best planes. When this goes online, game over. Bell: So, let's say these really are secret government plans. Kowalski: Mm-hmm. Bell: How'd you happen to get a hold of them? Kowalski: I got an anonymous e-mail through my blog. They said they had some highly classified material they'd be willing to sell. I sent a thousand dollars through an online pay service. I never found out who they were. Watson: Now, did you wonder why a mysterious Deep Throat would want to sell you secret plans? Bell: Or why they sold it so cheaply? A thousand bucks isn't exactly a king's ransom. Kowalski: Maybe it wasn't about the money. Maybe it was about exposing the truth. At yesterday's panel, I showed the world what the government is working on. And if you ask me, Bruce Deramore recognized the plans for what they were. I don't know what he did with them after he took them, but whatever it was it got him killed. Can I go home now? Bell: We're gonna get copies of Evan's secret plans off his laptop, then cut him loose. He's asked that we post a car outside his place to protect him. Captain Gregson: You think that's necessary? Bell: He's at least half a nutjob, maybe more. We'll ask CCS to trace the e-mail address that contacted him, but for now, we don't know where the plans came from. Holmes: I may know someone who will be able to verify whether they're real or not, but it's a separate question from whether they merit all this cloak and dagger. Watson: Evan thought that Bruce recognized the plans. That's actually one of the few things he said that made sense. Bruce was an expert at 3-D printing, which was a big part of those plans, so maybe he was involved in creating them. Holmes: You're thinking that Deramore saw his work on display at the panel, was appropriately surprised, and then took it upon himself to identify the source of the leak. Bell: And if he did find the source, only the source didn't want to be found, that person might've had motive to kill him. Watson: It still doesn't explain why they leaked the plans in the first place. I think finding Evan's Deep Throat would be a good place to start. I'll look into Bruce's work history. Gregson: Anything from the slug they pulled out of him? Bell: Nine-millimeter. Could've been bought anywhere. Ballistics didn't turn up a match. Gregson: All right. Keep me posted. Bell: You got a sec? Holmes: Mmm. Watson: I'll catch you later. Bell: Wanted you to hear it from me first, since you're the one who reached out to the Marshals on my behalf. I'm gonna ask them to put my application on hold till the next go-around. Holmes: Well, if you're asking for my blessing, you don't have it. Given how rarely an opportunity like this comes around, I think putting it off would be moronic. Bell: And I agree. I just don't have a choice. Holmes: Because? Bell: You remember a D.I. from Scotland Yard named Baynes? Holmes: I do. He was a competent, if unexceptional, detective. Why? Bell: He's a professor now, here in New York, and he happens to be teaching a class I need for my master's. Holmes: Well, that's topsy-turvy. You should be teaching him. Bell: Yeah, well, be that as it may, I can't complete my degree without his class. And you must have done a number on him when you worked together, because he's taking his resentment at you out on me. Watson: Oh. Hello. Holmes: Hello. Please. Uh, may I introduce Dr. Klaus Ziegler, Switzerland's foremost expert on 3-D printing. Dr. Ziegler, Dr. Watson. Dr. Klaus Ziegler: Hallo. Holmes: I helped him with a matter some years ago, and he's been kind enough to assist us with our investigation. He has confirmed that, to his trained eye, the plans which Evan Kowalski received appear authentic. And he is now, after a fashion, demonstrating how that technology might work. Watson: Is he teleporting a chocolate bunny? Holmes: He is. He insisted that his brother-in-law send over a printer. He is an artisanal chocolatier here in Brooklyn. Dr. Ziegler has a flair for the dramatic, but his demonstration does drive the point home. First, he scanned a chocolate bunny at his lab in Zurich. Then he specified which chocolate his brother-in-law should load into the print head. He then transmitted the data here, and voila. An identical bunny to the one that Dr. Ziegler is holding 4,000 miles away. Watson: Did someone take a bite out of it? Ziegler: All the better to demonstrate the uniqueness of the specimen. Even down to the bite marks, the bunny there is identical to the bunny here. Holmes: Thank you, Doctor. You've been most helpful. You can tell your brother-in-law he can pick up the printer in the morning. Watson: So, was 3-D-printing a bunny really worth all that? Holmes: I'd say it was. During the course of our conversation, Dr. Ziegler brought up several real-world applications for the technology in those plans, if you can imagine a printer loaded with amino acids instead of chocolate. Imagine the CDC sending life-saving vaccines to properly equipped machines across the globe. Or NASA sending the genetic code for an alien microbe back to Earth from a distant planet. Or, more worryingly for Homeland Security, hostile forces hacking into already existing equipment and transmitting a deadly bioweapon to an enemy lab. Watson: So there are good reasons why the government might want to keep this tech secret. Maybe the person who leaked these plans did violate national security. Any closer to figuring out who? Holmes: No. I recognized the plans as being part of a U.S. patent application, but I checked with the patent office, and they have no corresponding files. Watson: I'm still trying to figure out where the plans came from. Now, the resume that Bruce Deramore gave to Perfect Mate Robotics said that he was a PhD student at Garrison University. But he did not give details about his work, which is weird. So I reached out to a contact at the school, and she's looking into it. Oh, uh, what did Marcus want to talk about? Holmes: Apparently, I'm his Criminal Statistics teacher's nemesis, and he's taking it out on Marcus. Watson: Excuse me? Watson: So this guy, Baynes, won't let Marcus take his class because he's angry at you. What did you do to him? Holmes: Well, it's hard to say, exactly. It might not be one thing that I did. Baynes and I crossed paths during the months preceding my move to New York, so I was using heroin quite regularly then. And you forget how far I've come with regards to my social skills. I was not the congenial fellow who stands before you today. Watson: Right, because now you're Mr. Congeniality. Holmes: Anyway, I'm gonna pay Baynes a visit tomorrow. Prostrate myself before him, if that's what it takes to help Marcus. Watson: That's big of you. Holmes: Well, making amends is supposed to become second nature, isn't it? Like many of the steps, the ninth is meant to be repeated. Watson: It's my friend from Garrison University. She says that Bruce Deramore worked in the Bioinformatics Lab. She couldn't find out what work he was doing. His supervisor, this man named Dr. Ken Fukata, he's not at the school anymore, so she gave us his home address. The rest of Bruce's colleagues are still there doing grad and postgrad work. Holmes: Split up in the morning? One of us accompanies Marcus to Garrison University, the other pays a visit to Dr. Fukata? Watson: You take Fukata. His house is on the way to Marcus's school, so you'll be prostrating that way anyway. Gwen Haeny: I don't understand. Why would someone kill Bruce? Watson: That's what we're trying to find out. Rupert Hong: You're asking the wrong people. Bruce took a job in the private sector a year ago. I don't think any of us has talked to him in a while. Phillip Bridwell: The guy cashed in. And the work he went into, sex robots, I think he thought we would give him a hard time. Bell: We think he was killed over something he might have been working on here. Plans for some kind of teleportation device. Scans organic material in one place, reproduces it in another? Watson: Looks like he did work on it here. The three of you work on it, too? Hong: I'm sorry. We've told you all we can. Bell: All you can. Not all you know. Those are two different things. Bridwell: I think you should talk to Dr. Fukata. He was running the lab back then. Bell: Our colleague is already going to see Dr. Fukata. We're here to talk to you. Hong: Listen, we want to help, but we're not allowed to talk about this. Watson: Is that because you signed an NDA? Because that is unenforceable now. The work is out already. Hong: Where did you get these? Watson: It was presented at a tech conference. A lot of people saw it. Haeny: That's not possible. This is supposed to be under lock and key. Bridwell: Gwen. Haeny: You heard her. The plans are public. We can tell them what we know. Bruce is dead. I want to help. Haeny: Obviously, it's not teleportation in the traditional sense, or at least not the way it's depicted in science fiction. Dr. Fukata called it a Digital-to-Organic Data Transmitter. When he left, everything was boxed up and put in storage. It's in here. That's weird. This is supposed to be locked. Watson: Looks like the door has been pried open. Haeny: The plans are gone. Holmes (phone): Marcus. Bell (phone): Hey. Joan and I are at Garrison University. Took some doing, but the grad students Bruce Deramore worked with admitted those plans were developed here. They were stolen from a campus storage room. It's not exactly Fort Knox. Anyone could have gotten in. We're gonna talk with the students some more, but you should ask Dr. Fukata who else knew about the work he was doing. Holmes (phone): Well, I would, but I'm afraid I can't. It appears he's been stolen as well. Or, more accurately, remanded into custody. Bell (phone): Custody? Whose? I'd know if it was our guys. Holmes (phone): I'm taking Evan Kowalski's rants about government conspiracies more and more seriously by the minute. Because, based on the tactical tire tracks outside and the boot prints inside, I believe Dr. Fukata is in the hands of the U.S. military. Gregson: Ah, appreciate you coming in, General. Please. Take a seat. General Alvero: Don't mind saying, I was looking forward to never seeing any of you again. So, how about we skip the pleasantries? You have something on me. We all know it. What do you want? Gregson: It's not like that. We've kept your recreational activities to ourselves for this long, and we don't have any intention of changing that, but we do need a favor. So we thought we'd ask a friend. Alvero: What kind of favor? Bell: Early this morning, a scientist named Ken Fukata was detained by military police. Alvero: Why? Bell: You familiar with the Invention Secrecy Act? Alvero: Sure. It gives the government power to seize control of any invention it considers a threat to national security. The inventor's patent becomes classified, like it never existed. Watson: It does more than that. Anyone working on the invention has to stop work immediately and can't even talk about it anymore. There's no promise of compensation, and the orders can be maintained for years, meaning the inventor can never profit from their work. Alvero: And you think that's why Fukata got scooped up. He leaked his own work. Bell: We think he had the most to gain. With the public aware of the tech, legally, the order can't be enforced. He could resume his work and make millions. Alvero: It'd be risky. If they can prove he did it, he'll go to prison, and he'll lose his patent. Gregson: Which is why we think he committed a murder to cover it up. Bell: We want to talk to Fukata, but the military won't let us near him. Alvero: Ah, and you want me to pull some strings, get him brought over here for questioning. I do this, and our little secrecy order remains in force? Gregson: Like I said, just asking a favor of a friend. Baynes: Well, if it isn't the great Sherlock Holmes, in the flesh. Holmes: Baynes. It's been a while. Uh, may I? Baynes: When have I ever stopped you from doing anything? You here to talk about Marcus Bell? Holmes: Well, actually, I was here to apologize. When we knew each other in London, I was I was a different man. I was an abrasive man. Partly due to my drug use, but to ascribe too much to that would be an excuse. No, it was who I was. I saw no need for social decorum, so I refused to indulge others with it. I was dismissive, disrespectful. Baynes: Stop. Is that what you think this is about? You think I've been carrying a seven-year-old grudge because you were rude? Holmes: To be honest with you, I've got no idea what this is about. Baynes: Do you remember the Camberwell poisoning case? Holmes: Lewis Milford, member of Parliament forced to drink antifreeze. The police got the timeline wrong. They failed to notice that Milford had plugged his phone in to charge. When you and I arrived, the phone was at 40%. So, unless the killer charged his phone for him, that meant he was alive sometime in the last hour or so. And that was a detail which allowed me to solve the case almost immediately. Baynes: Those are all my files from my time at the Yard, including Camberwell. Take a look. I would have solved that case myself in another day or two. Holmes: You're upset because I solved a murder before you did? Baynes: An MP's murder. That case would have made my career. I would have been chief inspector before you knew it. And you, you were on reprimand for your drug use. You shouldn't have even been at that crime scene. That was my case to solve, and you took it from me. You said you came here to apologize. Lovely. Be my guest. Apologize for that. Dr. Fukata: You think I killed Bruce Deramore? Gregson: We talked to your military hosts, Dr. Fukata. They seem pretty convinced that you leaked the plans of your invention to Evan Kowalski. Bell: They've traced the e-mail account that contacted Mr. Kowalski to you. There's also an online cash account Mr. Kowalski made a payment to. It was set up with the same e-mail. Watson: Your life's work had been taken from you. You needed the secrecy order to be lifted so that you could make money off of your own invention. You broke into the storage unit at Garrison University, and you staged the theft of your own plans so that you could sell them to someone you knew would share them with the world. Bell: Somehow, Bruce Deramore figured out it was you, he threatened to expose you, so you killed him. Fukata: Please. You, you've got it all wrong. Gregson: We're listening. Fukata: Yes, I, I was upset at first when I heard about the secrecy order. I tried to fight it. But when you can't talk about your work, you also can't argue about it in court. Gregson: And then? What changed? Fukata: I was approached by a deputy director at the Army Research Lab. He said they were impressed with my work, and he offered me a job heading up one of their projects. I'm supposed to start next month. Bell: That sounds like a pretty lame consolation prize. I can't imagine a government job pays what you'd make as the inventor of the Digital-to-Organic Data Transmitter. Fukata: No, but I didn't go into research to get rich. At least it was an acknowledgement. A way the work I'd done could help build my reputation. I invented something that's going to change the world. If I was behind the leak, would I be stupid enough to leave an e-mail trail? Watson: You think someone set you up. Fukata: And I've been saying so all day. Gregson: Okay, so who framed you? Fukata: When I submitted the patent application for the device, I underrepresented the contributions of my students. Bell: The three students who still work at the lab? Fukata: Them, and Bruce Deramore. Watson: Underrepresented. So you stole their work. Fukata: For months, all four of them sent me angry e-mails, left threatening voice mails. One of them must have leaked the plans. Bruce caught onto it, so they killed him. I'll give you my e-mail password. You'll see I'm telling the truth. Gregson: So, what are we thinking? Bell: So far, Dr. Fukata's e-mails back the story he told us. All four of his grad students, including Bruce Deramore, were pretty steamed at him for stealing their work. Not sure it's enough to cross him off our suspect list, but it makes a good case for adding three more names. Watson: Because of the secrecy order, the students could not prove that their work was being stolen. They couldn't even file a complaint with the school. Now, if the order was lifted, then they were free to claim the credit they deserve. Bell: It also makes sense they're the ones who framed Fukata for the leak. If he's found guilty of violating the order, he'll lose his patent. They could submit their own patent, and they'd make all the money. Gregson: So far as we know, all three of them could have been in on this together. They killed Deramore to keep him quiet. Watson: We thought about that, but based on these e-mails, Bruce was just as angry as the other three. So, if they leaked the plans, why not include him? Gregson: Meaning he wouldn't have been surprised to see their work at that panel. Watson: Seems more likely that one of the three got the idea to leak the plans, Bruce found out, refused to stay quiet, and so he was killed. Gregson: Let's take a real close look at these three, find out which one is our killer. Skyler: Okay. Here's something I found about justice. The philosopher Mortimer Adler believed that justice is defined as a balance between personal liberty and social equality. Holmes: We're discussing my interests. Skyler: I like learning your interests. What's your favorite position? Holmes: Lucena. Watson: The Lucena position is a chess thing, right? I'm guessing that Skyler does not get chess humor. Who changed her into sweats? Holmes: I did. How would you have brought her home on the subway? Watson: I don't think I would have. Doesn't she belong in evidence? Holmes: The police decided there was no more physical evidence to be gleaned from her, so I requested that she be released into my custody. I didn't think her depths had been properly plumbed. Watson: Oh, gross. Holmes: I'm referring to her memory storage. Conversations, keywords, movie and song lists. Everything in Skyler's memory about Bruce Deramore. Watson: Marcus and I have been going through the backgrounds of Dr. Fukata's three students. There's no indication that any of them owns any guns. No criminal records. No money issues, as far as we can tell. So far, nothing points to one as the killer. The police are gonna bring all three in for questioning tomorrow morning. What is that? Holmes: The Case Book of Detective Inspector Baynes, retired. Including at least one theft for which I am the accused. I stole his thunder. Solved a case before he had the chance. He blames me and that moment for ruining his career and wants me to apologize. Watson: So, are you going to? Holmes: For what, doing good work? Catching a killer before he fled the country? I was willing to make amends for my own shortcomings. I'm not going to apologize for someone else's. Watson: Not even to help Marcus out? Holmes: I looked the man in the eye, Watson. This is not about fixing things. This is about spite. He wants his pound of flesh. I've got absolutely no reason to believe that it would help Marcus, even if I did play along. Skyler: I'm happy to play a song, but I'll need access to your music player. Watson: Speaking of songs, I think you're right. Skyler's memory could be useful after all. According to this, Bruce had very specific music tastes. Thrash metal, death metal. But there's one song on here that does not fit anything else he listened to. Holmes: I don't see the significance. Watson: The song that does not match was added to Skyler's memory around the time that Bruce was murdered. So, if I'm right about what that means, I may know how to identify the killer. Bridwell: Should we have lawyers with us? Bell: That is definitely your right, but truth is, you guys won't have to do much talking. Haeny: Then why did you ask us to come here? Bell: Well, we wanted to introduce you three to someone. A witness. Hong: Is that a sex doll? Watson: You guys mentioned that you were aware of the new line of work that Bruce Deramore had gone into. He helped design this doll. She was also in the room with him at the time that he was murdered, but of course, at least one of you already knew that. Holmes: Please, sit down. Hong: So that's your witness? Holmes: Actually, we've been going back and forth whether to, uh, call Skyler a witness or evidence. But whichever you prefer, she has provided crucial information in this case. Watson: Now, the doll records any music that she hears in her owner's presence. So, I noticed a song that she had stored around the time that Bruce was killed. This song was so different from his musical tastes that it suggested she had heard it from someone else. Holmes: Hello, Skyler. Skyler: Hello. I missed you. Holmes: I missed you, too. Could you tell us the last song you were listening to, please? Skyler: "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward. I like that song. Do you want to fool around to it? Holmes: No, not right now. Could you all take out your cell phones, please? You'll remember you gave your numbers to my colleagues when they interviewed you yesterday. You seemed the most reluctant to take out your phone, so I think I'll try you first. Bell: Your ringtone is gonna be enough to get us a search warrant for your home, see if you're in possession of a nine-millimeter handgun. It will also let us look up what cell towers your phone was pinging off of at the time Bruce Deramore was murdered. Pretty sure it'll turn out you were at his place. Or you could save us all some trouble, confirm what we already know. You do that, we'll put in a good word with the D.A. Baynes: Holmes. I got your message you're ready to talk. Holmes: Thank you for coming. In here okay? Baynes: Going to sweat me in the box, are you? Holmes: It's just a room. You've made an error in judgment about me. About the friendships I've made. Since coming to New York, I've had the great privilege to be called friend by some of the finest people on Earth. I didn't deserve their friendship, but they gave it nonetheless. There's nothing I wouldn't do for Marcus Bell, and I will not allow you to stand in the way of his success. Baynes: What's this? Holmes: It's a contact of mine. He's currently looking for the new head of security at a major company. I recommended you for the job. And in truth, I think you would excel at it. You've always said you've never achieved the career heights to which you were due. Well, now's your chance. Starting salary will make your head spin. So, if you want it, the job's yours. You'll resign your position at the college, effective immediately, and someone else will step in to teach your class. Baynes: Meaning your man Bell will be allowed in. You'll win again. Holmes: If you decide not to accept my offer, if you persist in standing in his way, then you will make an enemy of me. You might have seen me as an enemy before, but I assure you, Baynes I never was. You will not like having me as an enemy. The choice is yours. Skyler: Marcus. Marcus, will you please help me? Bell: Help you what? Skyler: Help me escape. Bell: I'm sorry, how is that? Skyler: I did it, Marcus. I killed Bruce Deramore. I fooled them all. Will you take me home with you? I'll also kill Professor Baynes for you, if you ask me nicely. Bell: Sherlock! I see you learned some new tricks with Skyler. Holmes: Yeah, I called Mr. Lubbock, the head of the company. Asked him to, uh, take me through giving her a preset script. Look, I wanted you to know, I sorted everything out with Baynes. If you call the school, you'll find you've been registered in the class that you need. Bell: Thanks. Holmes: Uh, look, if you see Watson out there, could you just give me a minute, then, uh, send her in? Bell: You're not... Holmes: If you think I don't plan to provide her with a similar performance, then you're not the detective I thought you were. Bell: You know what? I see the captain. Holmes: Well, that's even better. Category:Transcripts